Chapter 148: Ending the Vacation (3)
They say that time flows differently when you are studying compared to when you are playing games.
In reality, it is the same, but it refers to how one perceives it.
In short, the more happy and entertained you are, the more helplessly time slips away.
'That applies to me as well.'
It has already been three weeks since I faced that completely unexpected trial at the abandoned cathedral.
As I just mentioned, perhaps it is because the time has been so peaceful and happy, but time has flown by incredibly fast.
'Conversely, it means that time does not pass at all when you are in a difficult situation.'
Yes, exactly like right now.
With that thought, I gazed at the scenery unfolding around me.
Above was a pitch-black night sky, adorned with a full moon and stars that looked as if someone had carefully dotted the heavens with paint.
Behind me was a quiet hillside, with the occasional cries of wild animals serving as background music.
In front of me was a trickling stream and a campfire that crackled and hissed, burning away just like my own heart.
It was a landscape so beautiful it could have been a painting.
However, if one looked closer at this painting, there was some very detailed characterization involved...
"The moon is full tonight! Do you think a wish would come true if I made one?"
"If you want to achieve something, you should not wish for it; you should take action yourself. Just like me."
Above, sitting on a small hill and looking at the moon, were Kim Su-hyeok and Ryu Jin-oh, having a conversation.
"The wind is blowing quite hard. Cadet Jin-eon, can you help me over here?"
"Understood. Should I hold it right here?"
"That should do it. I will finish this quickly."
Behind me, Im Seong-cheol and Oh Jin-eon were exchanging blunt words while working hard to inspect the tents.
"Munch, munch."
"Chew, chew."
"...Are you both possessed by some kind of starving ghost?"
In front of me, Ha Eun-ha and Do Gang-ho were vigorously eating meat placed over the campfire.
And there was Ju Ha-yeon, watching them with an expression that said she was completely fed up.
Looking at the people woven into this picturesque scene, only one thought came to mind.
'How did things end up like this?'
Until just yesterday, I never could have imagined such a situation would occur.
To be honest, I do know how it happened.
It is just that I still cannot believe the current situation.
To explain this in detail, I have to go back to this morning...
***
Chirp, chirp—
The morning began with the sound of birds singing.
Up to this point, it was a morning that was not much different from usual.
However, the difference from my normal mornings began right then.
Ring, ring—!
In the quiet morning, the alarm on my phone rang out loudly by itself.
I was forced to wake up from my sweet slumber by that sound.
"Ugh... what is it..."
I did not have any appointments, and there was no place that would be contacting me, so who could it be?
I fumbled around the bedside and checked the caller ID on the phone I managed to grab...
"Huh? Oh Jin-eon?"
An unexpected name was displayed.
One might ask why it was unexpected since we are friends, but there was a reason for that.
"We only went home at dawn yesterday; why is he calling already?"
The day before, there were five of us: myself, Kim Su-hyeok, Oh Jin-eon, Ryu Jin-oh, and Do Gang-ho.
As soon as we met after lunch, we sparred with each other until evening, and then we spent a heated time in the training room from evening until dawn.
Well, even so, it is the kind of fatigue that goes away after six or so hours of deep sleep.
Still, there should be no reason for him to call me this early in the morning.
However, I could not just not pick up, so I eventually pressed the accept button.
"Hello?"
-I see you are awake.
"Well, that is because you called me."
-Oh, did I wake you up? If so, I am sorry.
Why is he apologizing for something like that?
"No, it was about time for me to wake up anyway. So, why did you call? Don't tell me you want to go train right now."
-It is nothing like that. Even I am not that much of a training maniac.
"Hmm..."
-Why are you hesitating?
It is because you definitely are that much of a training maniac.
Even among Glory cadets, are you and Do Gang-ho not the only ones who train for more than thirteen hours every single day during vacation?
Even the great Kim Su-hyeok occasionally declines your invitations, so I think that says it all.
Of course, it seemed he thought that was normal.
-Even if it is not for growth, one must train every day to maintain their condition. Since ancient times, exercise is...
"Right, right. Anyway, why did you call?"
-Ah, now that I think about it, I have not told you the reason for my call. Instructor Im Seong-cheol has summoned us all.
"The Instructor? But why did the Instructor not contact us himself?"
-He said it would be faster for one person to tell everyone.
"He could have just made a group chat and announced... Ah."
Come to think of it, Im Seong-cheol was terrible at that kind of stuff.
It was almost certain that he did not even know how to create a group chat.
That is why he probably only told Oh Jin-eon.
Well, setting that aside...
'I wonder what is going on?'
I could not think of anything in particular.
There was only a week left of vacation, and the incident from three weeks ago should have been mostly processed by now, so what could it be?
"Alright, I got it. So, when are we meeting?"
-He said to meet in front of the Glory Main Building at 11:00, so there are three hours left.
"Okay, so I just need to be there by 11:00, right?"
-That is true, but if you have any intention of having breakfast together, you can come out earlier. I plan to ask the others as well.
"Understood. Let us meet at the plaza at 9:00."
-Mm, okay.
With that, my call with Oh Jin-eon ended.
I was still curious about the reason Im Seong-cheol told us to gather...
"That is something I will find out once I meet him."
For now, I should get ready to go out.
Since we agreed to meet at 9:00, I had one hour left.
It looked like it was going to be a bit tight.
***
"There is a reason Player Shin Yu-hwan was a regular here, right?"
"I agree. I thought Sundae Gukbap was the same everywhere, but this place seems to taste better than others."
"Is that so? It all tastes equally delicious to me."
"That is because you love eating so much."
"...Shut up. You suspicious guy."
"Just how long am I going to be the suspicious guy?"
"I don't know. It just rolls off the tongue so well."
"..."
10:30 AM.
Having met earlier due to Oh Jin-eon's breakfast suggestion, Kim Su-hyeok, Oh Jin-eon, Do Gang-ho, and I were chatting about various things in front of the Main Building, our meeting place.
Why were only four of us gathered?
Unlike the others, the three of them do not live in the dorms.
I do not have a family home to go to, and Kim Su-hyeok is in the same position.
...This is because Kim Su-hyeok lost his entire family in a Gate accident when he was young.
And while Do Gang-ho has a widowed mother, he is staying here because his mother told him to focus on his studies.
Do Gang-ho accepted that because he knows his mother will be able to live comfortably only if he succeeds.
'I am not sure about Oh Jin-eon.'
I have not really asked.
I was afraid that if I asked, some heartbreaking story might come out, and I would feel quite sorry.
'Even if we just talk about the tragic stories mentioned so far, it is already heartbreaking enough.'
Anyway, because of that, unlike the other three, we are currently living in the dorms, so we met up early to have breakfast together and chat.
We were in the middle of a heated debate about who was more relentless between Oh Jin-eon and Do Gang-ho when we changed the subject.
"It looks like everyone is here."
Im Seong-cheol was walking toward us from afar, accompanied by the other three who had not been present.
At that sight, we stopped our chatting and greeted Im Seong-cheol.
"Hello, Instructor."
"There is no need to be so stiff. Just be comfortable."
"Haha..."
"Has everyone been having a good vacation?"
At Im Seong-cheol's words, everyone nodded.
Actually, it felt like all we had done since that day was spar and train...
'At least there was no threat to our lives, right?'
I think just spending it safely means we spent it well.
While we were exchanging various greetings, Ju Ha-yeon was the first to bring up the main point.
"So, why were we suddenly summoned? We gathered because you told us to, but..."
"Now that you mention it, I have not stated the purpose yet. My apologies."
With a brief apology, Im Seong-cheol immediately spoke about the purpose of today's gathering.
"It is nothing else, but I have called you here because instructions have come down from the higher-ups."
"Instructions?"
"Yes. It is not a bad thing, so you do not have to worry about that."
That was likely true.
In the first place, we had not done anything to warrant a reprimand. If anything, we should have received an award, right?
'Then what on earth is it?'
It seemed Im Seong-cheol did not know much about it either.
The fact that he called this specific combination of people definitely meant it was about the incident three weeks ago...
'Well, I will find out once I go.'
Is it not true that you only know things once you face them?
It seemed like the other kids felt the same way.
And so, we followed behind Im Seong-cheol into the Main Building without a word.
***
"Oh."
We arrived at the top floor of the Main Building following Im Seong-cheol.
There, I encountered a familiar face.
"Teaching Assistant, it has been a long time."
"Oh! You are the cadet I saw back then!"
It was the person I had met during the Gate incident where I first met Yu-hyeon.
I wondered where they had gone, and it turned out they were working here.
I still remembered them because my first impression was that they were friendly and kind.
"You have moved up in the world, working in the Main Building."
"Ahaha, I am still just a teaching assistant."
"No. At this rate, you will become an instructor in no time."
"Haha, thank you for the kind words. Anyway, you are here on business, right? I have heard. They are waiting for you inside."
"Thank you. We will head in now."
"Yes! To Cadet Yu-seong and the other cadets, keep up the good work as always!"
"Ah..."
The teaching assistant smiled brightly and offered us words of encouragement before immediately leaving, seemingly busy.
Man, I was going to ask for their name, but they left in an instant...
'Well, if it is meant to be, we will meet again.'
Glory is vast, but it is small enough for us to cross paths again.
And for now, I should not be worrying about the teaching assistant's name.
Leaving the thought of the teaching assistant's name behind, we moved to a rather unexpected place.
"It is the Administration Office."
As Kim Su-hyeok said, the door we arrived at had a nameplate that read 'Administration Office.'
However, if I were to be precise, rather than an administration office...
'I think the name "Office" would be more appropriate.'
Of course, I had not yet opened the door to check the inside.
How did I know that 'Office' suited this place better than 'Administration Office'?
That was because, although I did not know this place in great detail, I was somewhat familiar with it.
'A brief description appeared in the novel, so there is no way I wouldn't know.'
Actually, it is funny.
Why on earth would a fantasy novel centered around players record the location of an office?
'When the description first appeared, I thought it was just filler to increase the word count.'
But as I just said, I thought that 'at first.'
In short, I later found out the reason why the location of this place was explained, even if only briefly.
The reason was simple.
What does it mean when a novel explains a place like an office?
'It means the person in that place is someone who will be treated as a significant character.'
Standing behind Im Seong-cheol as he knocked on the door of the Administration Office, I thought about the person who would be inside.
I thought about a major figure in Glory who, despite not appearing often, was very significant.
After a few seconds of reflection...
"Come in."
A voice immediately granted permission to enter from inside.
With the permission given, Im Seong-cheol opened the door to the Administration Office without hesitation.
A middle-aged man then came into view.
And in front of him was a nameplate that read 'Jeong Jin-myeong.'
'The man who maintains his sharp intelligence even past the age of fifty and is in charge of Glory's internal and external administration.'
As soon as we entered, he scanned us with a sharp gaze.
His appearance was exactly as I had imagined.
'They said he has a serious and meticulous yet bold personality, and as expected...'
"Well, well. Seeing the celebrities of Glory like this brings back memories. I would like to have a chat, but I am sure you are all busy people, so I will start by telling you why I called you here."
As expected...
"Im Seong-cheol and you all, even if it is just for two days and one night, please go on a trip somewhere. Haha."
...Wait, what?
"Hahaha, I am asking you this favor."
Setting aside the 'bold' part, where did 'serious and meticulous' go?
This seems completely different from the description in the novel...?
'Ah, now that I think about it, there was that.'
There was one more line, a very brief one, describing him.
It said he occasionally shows an eccentric side.
They say there is no genius who is not an eccentric, and it seems that is indeed the case.
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